Valverde acknowledges bust-ups with Madrid team-mate Tchouameni after suffering head injury

Federico Valverde has acknowledged his role in a clash with Real Madrid team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni that left the Uruguayan requiring a hospital visit on Thursday.

Madrid are set to finish a second straight season without major silverware, and recent weeks have seen Los Blancos rocked by multiple reports of unrest in the changing room.

Kylian Mbappe was said to be involved in a heated disagreement with a member of Madrid's coaching staff, while left-back Alvaro Carreras admitted to an "isolated, unimportant" confrontation with a team-mate, reportedly Antonio Rudiger.

And, on both Wednesday and Thursday, reports suggested midfielders Valverde and Tchouameni had been involved in two bust-ups, the second of which left the Uruguay international with a cut head that required treatment.

It was subsequently confirmed by the club that Valverde had been treated for the injury and must rest for between 10 and 14 days, ruling him out of Sunday's Clasico against Barcelona.

Madrid also announced that disciplinary proceedings had been opened against both players, saying further updates will be provided "once the corresponding internal procedures have been completed."

And Valverde has released a statement regarding his involvement in the incidents, insisting neither he nor Tchouameni became physically aggressive with one another.

"Yesterday, I had an incident with a team-mate during a training session. The fatigue from competition and the frustration made everything seem blown out of proportion," he said on Thursday. 

"In a normal locker room, these things can happen and are usually resolved internally without it becoming all public. 

"Clearly, someone here is spreading rumours, and with a season without titles, where Real Madrid is always under scrutiny, everything gets blown out of proportion.

"Today we had another disagreement. During the argument, I accidentally hit a table, causing a small cut on my forehead that required a routine visit to the hospital. 

"At no point did my team-mate hit me; I didn't hit him either. 

"I feel that my anger about the situation, frustration at seeing some of us struggling to get through the end of the season, giving it our all, pushed me to the point of arguing with a team-mate."

These incidents could hardly come at a worse time for Madrid, who go to Camp Nou this weekend. 

If Barca avoid defeat, they will win LaLiga as a direct result of a Clasico for the first time ever – the only previous instance of Spanish football's biggest game deciding the title came in 1932, as Madrid beat the Blaugrana to edge out Athletic Club for the crown.